I've had an almost opposite problem. In the final stages of a book edit, the author has had friends read it who told him, "It's perfect the way it is." I was still not satisfied with the way certain passages were written. But since "everyone else was OK with it," I had a hard time getting the author to finish polishing his work.

Photo courtesy Alaina Abplanalp Photography Goodness knows my projects always benefit from another pass with a competent pair of eyes. They often get one during proofreading, and it’s humbling to see the things I missed or flubbed. In the end I’m glad for the sake of the book that t...